Do CDs STILL MATTER? Shanling EC Mini review
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- CDs aren't just cool 'cause they're retro. They're cool because they spin. And because they give you an added layer of control of your sound quality. So don't be surprised that Shanling has a handful of new CD players, including this EC Mini. Is it still worth getting CDs in 2024? Emphatically, yes. Is the Shanling EC Mini the best way to listen to them? Let's talk about it.
See it on Amazon: amzn.to/49zzJPW
On Shenzhen Audio: shenzhenaudio.com/products/sh...
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Disclosure: This video is NOT sponsored, but retailer Shenzhen Audio did send these headphones to me free for review. Check them out at shenzhenaudio.com/
#Shanling #CDplayer #Discman #DAP #digitalaudio #audio #audiophile #SuperReview
As someone who's already seen the efforts in the trenches for preservation in other media (games, dvd media, vhs media), seeing stuff like this and Fiio's cassette players is amazing to see not only for preservation, but not letting media become truly obsolete. I do love physical media, so these kinds of products I encourage more of, even if there's some stumbles and issues!
Too bad that cassette recorders of a Nakamichi, Teac, Pioneer, Akai, 3 head direct drive are NLA even on second hand marked and serviceable due to lack of parts
Thanks for the review. LOL on the battery follow up. OUCHIE!
When's portable Vinyl player?
I think Audio Technica has one of those! Look up the "Sound Burger"
Audio Technica Sound Burger is a *good* portable turntable. any other turntable you see advertised as portable is kinda crap
When playing music in sd card mode, it shows album art, plus you can see the album art in the edict player app when you sync it with your cell phone.
'1975' on that Queen CD refers to when the music was published, there were no CDs back then
TRUE. Usually when CDs get reprinted that's the date that's on the disc (or both original product + new date), curious that this one doesn't have a date in the '80s or later.
Probably remastered from the master tapes.
That's usually a sign you have a CD with the original master recording on it, so, on discs like that one, the audio is way higher quality than what you'll find on a streaming service or a place like Qobuz (although not technically higher, it just sounds better.)
@patrickmiller4987 This comment sounds like an ass, no need. The Dynamic Range DB catalogs dynamic range measurements of various releases of albums. Dynamic range isn't the only difference between releases of an album, but it's a useful heuristic for finding releases that sound better than others. On streaming services, you get what you get. When buying CDs, you can seek out the gems. dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/1/dr/asc?artist=fleetwood%20mac&album=rumours
"Your opinion...prove it," yes, that is kinda ass no matter which nice words you sandwich it in.
FWIW my point is not that higher DR = better, it's just a useful heuristic for finding albums that sound different, and they DO sound different. My favorite version of The Cure's Disintegration isn't the highest DR-rated version, for example. As for "just like a little more objectivity" you should consider replacing that with "I am reflexively and assertively skeptical of things I haven't experienced myself" because you've just dismissed dynamic range -- an objective measurement -- as an opinion. I think we'll agree that there's a lot of BS placebo in audio and being guarded against it is useful. But be careful that it leads you away from useful information -- like that a CD can sound better than Qobuz.
I've been ripping and streaming CDs for the last 15 years, and I've been thinking of getting a CD transport for my living room system for a while. Purely for nostalgic reasons. I'll have to look into this one 🙂
look Sony MHC-V13
A relaxing friday evening is ripping that new CD and adding the FLAC to my collection. 🙃
We built different.
I had the first Toshiba portable CD player. The thing was huge taking 4 C sized batteries. I had lots of people on the train point and laugh at me using their tiny cassette Walkmans. Right up until the point when I changed disks;-)
Listening in CDs is more focused and since its physical one is more likely to listen same album over and over again. In Streaming apps, listening gets hijacked with skipping with another album and another. When I was teenage I used to listen in CDs, now CDs are not available anymore in INDIA. If music publishers manufacture CDs in INDIA or CHINA, cd price will reduce and chances are people will buy more cd compared to the sales at present.
It's a cool nostalgic device to have fpr sure
I just wanna see 'em spin 🥹
I enjoy CDs and have a smallish bunch that I’ve still kept from my larger 90-00’s collection. For headphone usage (low/mid budget IEMs, Koss, etc) how much difference in sound do you think you’d get from this versus a vintage Panasonic or Sony portable unit from the late 90’s?
I think you could pick out some differences between this and older players, but probably not night and day differences. My Discman's headphone jack sounds a bit warmer and fuzzier than the lineout jack on the same device, but the lineout is pretty good.
I've read that some modern CD players inset gaps between songs, is this one gapless?
My primary use case scenario for purchasing this devise was to connect it via the analog outputs to my integrated amp. However, no sound comes out of my speakers! The little screen on top always shows the headphone symbol, so not sure if you need to somehow switch on the analog pre-outs in the menu system, but for now it's simply a paper weight.
CDs nuts
You can't say that!!1
Any chance you review the moondrop disdream? Really interested on that one
Sadly the one I have doesn't work.
@@SuperReview 😫
YES!!! :)
Hi Mark, any chance you'll be restarting your photography channel? Just happened upon it today, and liked seeing your take on m4/3 cameras but its been like 6 years since the last video.
No not likely, though funny timing you ask because I've been shopping lenses for the first time in a long time recently. I do want to try out some of the new M43 cameras.
What's his photography channel I would like to check it out
CD made in 1975 😊
I love cds and I do think as a transport a cd player sounds better than streaming. Not because of the media but the player itself. But streaming is just way too functional for music discovery. I would rather spin vinyl than cds when in the mood to interact with physical media. The og pressed rock, blues and jazz on vinyl sound great.
I only used discs and radio until the streaming services came out (skipped the whole iPod thing). I have A LOT of music that isn't available for streaming, and I'm terrible at ripping/tagging/backing up data (actually my laptop barely gets used for anything), so CDs and vinyl are used nearly everyday for me
I wonder if it reads DVDs, with FLAC files. The display is way too small, and I would want bottons also on top, just below display. And higher headphone output. My second hand Sony from mid 1990s still keeps going - pretty scratch resistant and good error correction.
It would be no on the DVDs support. ECMini is a pure Audio CD player.
Thanks for feedback on the buttons. Will see how we might adjust the overall controls for possible future versions.
I am still a fan of CDs more than vinyl but I have a reel to reel and DAT and DCC so I don't bail on formats LoL
It depends, Qobuz has multiple remasters of some popular music.
my dad gave me his old phillips portable cd player. I did not know what it was lmao.
LOL
At this point we have a new value offer: Any media offer which is in your control and online corporations cannot just change it on you.
It feels like it's doing too much... No digital/optical out, which is interesting considering there's rca stereo out. You have a top touch screen that's tiny but you have pretty much the same buttons. Should've either made an app or added a remote. Car mode is useless unless the stability is so good that you can go offroading with it.
CDs to me, aside from the physical collection aspect, represent ownership and preservation.
Generally speaking, music rights holders and web music stores are fickle soulless corporations. I do not trust them as far as I can throw them when it comes to preservation and product quality. In the age of enshittification, none of them can be trusted with regard to those factors. They can simply change the rules of the subscription streaming game to whatever suits their bottom line.
CDs ripped to FLAC for local playback ensure that my music won’t change when CEO Billy Bob wants a golden parachute after rotting a company from the inside out in the name of “shareholder value”.
Older CDs rule!
Agreed 🤘
Pretty shocked it can’t be used as a CD ripper too. That feature got orphaned on the Shanling whiteboard, I guess.
Yeah seems like it's basically their DAP technology + a disc drive.
PC Drive functionality demands a lot of work from our software team, just to compete with 15 USD USB CD Drives and free software. Not saying it will not happen maybe one day, but it was not priority for ECMini.
I call these slot-loaders CD Scratchers! :) Also, how do you get your cd out if its dead or faulty?
I dunno that I've ever had one actually scratch a disc, e.g. my PlayStation 3 and 4.
Idk why, the biggest offense to me is volume control being a rocker instead of a knob. For something this pricy that feels like an oversight to me.
Kind of agree, though a knob is kinda worse for portable use. But I don't know how portable this is.
Gr8 review as ever Mark. All the features and pitfalls have to be considered for sure - completely fair.
Over time I've seen front loading slots lightly mark CD's - I prefer top loading due to this. I think 7-7.5 hours is meh in 2024 for me personally. CD playback to me should be 14+ hours between charges. Each time the battery goes through a charge cycle it degrades, the quicker it ends up in land-fill. I'd prefer to see a battery tray, so we can replace it when it moves down to only lasting 3hrs.
All it would have taken is a larger area for the battery - which at worst would have added 6-7mm to the depth of the unit. Had they just thought a little harder before release. PC external drive functionality would have been really handy. I have quite a few CD's that are 80 mins long, so 7hrs in winter time when the cold affects battery drain more - is meh to me. A deal breaker. Wicked review, and like you I rip my CD's to FLAC. At present I don't own a physical CD player, and with the flaws - I see no reason to not continue to use my DAP 100% of the time.
Hopefully Fiio will get the M23 to you soon for review. Cheers, have a good one...
Yeah I think the later Discman models got 20+ hours of playback on AA batteries. They're much simpler devices, but... maybe the Shanling could be simpler.
Hi, thanks for commenting. If we may give some more info on the device:
1. For battery life, the CD drive is simply draining. We are running on two 18650 batteries (6800 mAh) and while that can run in MicroSD card mode for more than 20 hours, the CD drive just cuts significantly into this. And while we are in 2024, the portable CD technology is unfortunately not as high as it used to be in the days of walkman.
Luckily you can run ECMini with USB-C charger connected just fine to extend the battery life, including on the go with portable chargers.
2. Battery exchange on ECMini is quite easy, you just need a screwdriver, disconnect one cable and it slides out of the shell. Batteries are industry standard and simply sitting in plastic cradle. Making for a very easy repairable device for the future.
3. PC Drive functionality demands a lot of work from our software team, just to compete with 15 USD USB CD Drives and free software. Not saying it will not happen maybe one day, but it was not priority for ECMini.
Have you considered the fiio cp13 portable cassette player?
No, only cassette I own is a mix tape recording from the radio I made when I was a teenager :P
Why is the “mini” larger than the diskman 😨
They've got a larger desktop-only product I believe.
It's our smallest CD player. And probably smallest CD Hi-Fi player actually released in many years...
Personally waiting for a casette player, and then a floppy drive. Someone page me please when it happens 🙏
Paging Dr. sujayp11: fiio.com/cp13
Wish they had optical outs to use them as transports which are laughably overpriced in the current market.
Just get an used old one
I was deciding between the EC Mini and the Moondrop Discdream a couple of months ago, but decided against both of them, because they are battery driven always, so they‘ll apparently die in a couple of years and I wanted to use them on the desk only, so yeah
I got a Denon DCD-700AE used for 70€ and connected its optical out to my Fiio K7
Works fine and sounds awesome, so I‘d really recommend that if you don’t need a DAC/Amp functionality itself in the player
The 700AE has a Headphone out, it’s not that good though imo
And most importantly, these old Players look freaking beautiful, a fat piece of silver metal, that’s just awesome as a designer piece too
It'll output digital over USB FWIW.
@@Tssukiii Yeah, but I'd like to have something smaller. The Denon etc small ones are not easy to find used and are $400ish. I had an old Philips or something that was great, but huge and the remote was lost in the nineties I'm guessing.
We have Shanling CD80, CD Player with optical out for 359 USD. It's just home device, powered from wall.
@@shanlingaudio Thanks for mentioning.
1:27 oh boy I think You are wrong. Did You listened to the same cd Quality file in Tidal and QOBUZ? You Will perceive as I do that Tidal is Warner, with more flash from top to bottom while Qobuz is more clear and analytical. Which is right? Perhaps NONE. The MQA stuff told US that music platforms add their personal sauce to the Dish. I think that ALL musical platforms do the same so the original release, the one closest to the Master should be the proper source if You want to listen to what the artist had in its mind. Before high res, it is cd or the music downloaded from the record company, NOT QOBUZ or Tidal
Uh this isn't really what I was talking about, my point is that if you look at all the CD releases of a given album (e.g. Fleetwood Mac Rumours: dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/1/dr/asc?artist=fleetwood%20mac&album=rumours ) there's a ton and the sound quality varies, and if you're using Tidal you typically get just one, maybe two versions, and if they're not the best versions, you're stuck with what you've got.
In my country it is almost impossible to get CD discs. And also in my opinion, all those things take up too much space and are not practical.
Why so hard to get CDs? For storage, the collectors may hate me, but I throw away the jewel cases, too much space.
@@SuperReview I haven't seen people selling/using that thing in more than a decade here.
eBay is my friend.
@@SuperReview It is very difficult to buy products from abroad now here. Many new regulations make things difficult.
One word: BRING BACK FUCKING CABLE REMOTE!
PS: CD > vinyl
Sony MHC-V13 will be cheaper and better option.
Didn't know about that thing, pretty cool but yyyyyuuuuuuuuge.
The huge MQA logo on top is very unfortunate. I won't buy anything with that nonsense meme plastered prominently on it on principle.
You're depriving yourself of most audio products in the last 5 years because of a logo from a failed company? You do you.
they have dsd or mqa format cd in china,guy.
actually, Chinese musics now on sales as mqa format as normal.
and mqa cd only 12 $
Don't see the point of this when you can just rip to lossless and stick your files on a high quality DAP.
The fun of it. Or maybe you have a big CD library and can't be arsed to rip it and properly tag/catalog it.
CD's haven't mattered since 2013. I know because that's when I bought a new car, and it has never ever used its Cd player.
2013, fancy new car. Mine's 2007.
@@SuperReview 😂😂😂 touche!